Roasted suckling pork
THE LAST time I dined in a Michelin-starred restaurant offering Costa Brava-inspired Spanish cuisine was in Casa Mono owned by acclaimed Chefs Mario Batali and Andy Nusser in New York City. It was Restaurant Week in New York City so dining in Michelin-starred establishments was affordable.
The good news is, Michelin-starred British Chef Jason Atherton and his Cebuana wife Irha recently opened the first of The Social Company’s (TSC) restaurant in the Philippines, The Pig and Palm, at the MSY Tower in Cebu Business Park in partnership with Cebu-based developers Chris and Carla McKowen with architect Lyndon Neri.
The Social Company, which was launched by Chef Atherton in 2010 after leaving Gordon Ramsay Holdings where he worked for 10 years, own restaurants with concepts that have been success stories the world over. His distinct cuisine and hospitality style is enjoyed in 15 restaurants in London, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Dubai, New York and Sydney. Three of his seven restaurants in London have been awarded one Michelin star each.
His first, London-based Pollen Street Social, which opened in 2011, was awarded one Michelin star within a year of operation.
Local red mullet and clams in bacon beer sauce
Chef Jason Atherton claims that his Cebu venture is actually dedicated to his wife who wanted to bring part of the success of The Social Group to her hometown. So the casual dining offerings in the menu are a tribute to our Spanish heritage and will revolve around the fresh produce sourced out locally. The Filipino salu-salo (sharing) concept is encouraged in the menu’s “Big Plate to Share.” Chef Jason says he is inspired by our
islands and guided by his food philosophy of “Simplicity with complications.”
The Social Company’s operations team was on hand to meet our group. The 25-cover stand-alone bar that serves innovative cocktails and tapas captured my attention as we entered the 57-seater restaurant. Bars, after all, are not prominent in a typical restaurant setting here in Cebu.
And as the lunch unfolded, we will discover a few of the innovative cocktails created by TSC’s Group Bar Executive Jamie Jones that started with chilled glass of “Dill or no Dill,” a concoction of gin, lemon juice, elderflower cordial, dill and smoked salt, to excite our palates. A huge bowl of Squid Crackers, which looked like kropeck blackened with squid ink with potato aioli was served as soon as we took our seats. Deliciously
different!
Sashimi of tuna
An impressive parade of Small Bites marched on our table: Kinilaw of Shrimp in calamansi, pickled papaya, chili and coconut; Chicken Karaage with siracha mayonnaise; Old-Fashioned Pork Terrine; Sashimi of Tuna with ponzu and jalapeno ice in lieu of the usual wasabi; and a very healthy dish of Chargrilled Miso Carrots, baba ganoush and walnut pesto. These are not uncommon dishes but they certainly tasted remarkably refined.
For the Big Plates to Share, we forked into plates of Local Red Mullet, clams with beer and bacon; Coal-grilled Australian Black Angus Rib-eye with Chimichurri dressing and Roasted Suckling Pig with soya-onion gravy, apple sauce and charred mustard leaves. The small clams and red mullet are always available in the market but the dish was elevated to a very sophisticated level with hints of beer and bacon. The Roasted Suckling Pig was the star! It was succulently tender with crispy skin.
Coconut rice pudding
One of the desserts is a local favorite similar to our Suman at Mangga but with Chef Jason’s flair: Coconut Rice Pudding, Coconut Ice Cream and Mango. A surprise cocktail “ Coff’ Medicine” came complete with a prescription label in a bottle, a mixture of Don Papa Rum, Kahlua and a shot of Espresso.